


Through the Nightmares, Comes Solace

by TheElusiveDabbler (I_Write_Tragedies_Not_Sins)



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 00:10:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9211280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Write_Tragedies_Not_Sins/pseuds/TheElusiveDabbler
Summary: After the Reaper War is over, Jack and Shepard settle down to start building their future. But nightmares of her past still haunt her.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LordDanerius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordDanerius/gifts).



> Written as a gift fic for the 2017 Secret Santa Exchange in the Mass Effect Fanfiction Writers Group.

_Blood coats cement walls, tiny child-sized handprints smeared across the black paint. Voices scream, high pitched and pleading, as Subject Zero tears down the hall in a biotic charge. Laughter bubbles in her throat as she slams a man against the floor until his skull shatters in a mess of broken bones and brain matter. Children reach for her, their small hands clutching at her arms, dragging her down as she tries to escape. She screams, voice breaking, as she lets loose a biotic pulse that shoves everyone away. They fly in every direction, small bodies cracking and splattering as they slam against walls and other kids. **She's almost free.**_

_Subject Zero braces herself as she continues to run, tucking in her elbows close to her ribs. Fear  and adrenaline make her heart pound like a war drum beneath her chest. She doesn't want to go back, **can't go back.** A light glows ahead, the bright yellow hue of sunlight and hope. _

**_Freedom._ **

_A shadow steps in front of her, gap toothed and grinning. His smile sends a chill down her spine. The bitter, pungent smell of her own urine floods her nose a second before she feels the wetness soak her pants._

_"Time to return to your room now, Subject Zero. Be a good girl," he purrs, stalking toward her with pistol._

Jack's scream catches in her throat as she bolts upright in bed, trapped inside. She covers her mouth with her hands, not letting any sound escape. Her pulse is pounding in her ears, tears streaking down her face. She hasn't had that nightmare in years. Not since she found Shepard. 

She glances over at his sleeping form, his eyelids fluttering softly even as he dreams. Her fingers reach out automatically, trembling, brushing against the rough stubble of his cheek. She traces the lines of his face with her fingertips, pausing at the light scar tissue across the bridge of his nose before moving to the laugh lines that crinkle at the corners of his eyes when he chuckles. The familiar feel of his skin feels like home.

Sometimes, she finds it hard to believe she's here, with him, like this. The war is over. He's alive, and somehow, so is she. She lays down, propping herself up on on elbow, fragments of her past still floating through her mind. Her hands shake as memories stab and twist inside her.

Shepard opens his eyes, brows furrowing as he rubs his face. He glances over her, frowning as his eyes follow the trails of tears that still stain her cheeks. "Jack." He whispers her name, soft, a gentle caress against her heart.

Jack stiffens, still not used to letting anyone in. Not even him. She rolls over, facing the door. She always sleeps on the side of the door. "I'm fine, go back to bed," she replies, shoving her shaking hands under the blanket.

There's a pause before she feels a shift on the bed, his arms wrapping around her. He buries his nose into the back of her neck as he traces patterns across her arms, holding her, touching her. "I'm here," he says. That's all, nothing more, nothing complex. Just "I'm here" and she falls apart, stifling her sobs against her pillow. His grip tightens as he holds her closer, a tight embrace of security and warmth that she never expected could be real. 

Safety was an illusion. Kindness was a means to get what they wanted. Home was an imaginary place promised to frightened children to shut them up. 

Until Shepard. 

She rolls over, clutching at his chest as he holds her. He was real. Solid. Warm. She breathes in the scent of him as the last of her nightmare pulls away, clinging like cobwebs to her skin.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles into his chest.

She can still feel the fear, like a trapped butterfly fluttering in her throat. Shepard doesn't promise it'll be alright, they both know how empty those words are. But he holds her, and eventually her breathing returns to normal and the sobs subside. 

Jack pulls back, looking into his deep brown eyes. He offers her a lopsided grin, one tooth missing from the end of the war. She loves his stupid smile.

"Don't apologize, Jack," he replies. "I love you."

I love you. Those three words send her heart racing again, but this time fear doesn't make her run away. She nods, unable to say it. "Yeah, I know," she mutters with a sigh. "Same."

His grin widens and he kisses the tip of nose, making her frown. "I hate when you do that," she grumbles.

He shrugs, laying his head back on his pillow. "I can't help it if you have such a cute nose."

"I hate you," she says, trying not to smack him.

His laugh makes her smile, a gentle curving of the lips. "You don't," he replies, voice full of certainty. He glances at her out of the corner of her eyes. "Pragia again?"

Her smile slips as she nods, a curt jolt of her head. "Yeah."

No more words pass between them. They've already talked about her nightmares, and his too. Some scars run too deep to ever fully heal. She curls up at his side, resting her head on her chest. But she isn't alone and sometimes, that's enough. 

"Goodnight, Shepard," she says as he wraps his arms around her.

He mumbles something in reply, a deep rumble against her ear. It sounds like "Goodnight" but she can't be sure, already drifting back to sleep, emotions making her tired.

And this time, no nightmares wake her up.

 


End file.
